Deuteronomy 2 No More Skirting!!!

 

 

Vs.2, 3 “And the Lord spoke to me saying: You have skirted this mountain long enough.” 

Moses continues to review the history of the Israelites.  This was God’s urging to move on.  Is there some mountainous project that we are skirting around?  Is there a relationship that needs to be mended, or a friendship that needs to be renewed? Are we always thinking about those great plans to spend an exciting time with our husband or children?  We need to just sit down, plan it, put it on the calendar and then finally announce it to our loved ones so they can start getting excited about it (unless, of course, it is a sweet surprise).  Don’t put is off.  Make those wonderful memories. You won’t regret it.  No more skirting!!!!!!

I love the one my close friend does every Thanksgiving.  They have a pie making contest and then vote on the best.  She laughingly admitted that she has yet to win.  She told me how much fun it was for her family.  I can just imagine all the laughter that goes on in her kitchen.  Her daughter was so excited about the contest as it was coming up.  Now that’s a memory she’ll always remember and probably pass down to her own children.

 

Vs. 4, 5  “…Watch yourselves carefully.  Do not meddle with them.”

This was the instruction as they passed through a territory. As we make our journey through life we must also watch ourselves carefully. We must tread prayerfully through life as we dwell with those around us that could encourage our spiritual downfall. We can’t waste our precious time on earth getting into battles that God doesn’t want us to fight and that just are not necessary.  Give up the meddling, ungodly idle talk and gossip.  God has been so gracious as He is deeply teaching me to told my tongue, not have the last word and not responding to gossip.  It’s so freeing!!

 Refuse to argue with others.  Refuse to take part in gossip that is going on around you.  They will get the hint.  Soon they will know that they just can’t get an evil word out of you. I love being around people that just don’t participate in it. Conversations with them are so sweet as we share about our lives and God’s goodness.  Let us be that safe one to be around, one that others will love migrating to and one that can share His love.

 

Deuteronomy 1 Turning Point

 

 Vs. 2 “It is eleven days’ journey…”

It was an eleven day journey from Egypt to Canaan. Instead it took the Israelites forty years because of their sin and rebellion. Even sadder yet, only the younger generation was allowed to enter the Promised Land.   Are we still wondering in a wilderness instead of reaching the destination and a life full of His abundant blessings and usefulness that God has planned for us? Do we keep resisting His plan?  Will we miss out completely and end our days in agony over what we have given up?  God may eventually just take away that wonderful life He has planned for us as He sees our continuous rebellion.  He will never abandon us yet He will hold back the abundant blessings He has waiting for us.  Will our children and grandchildren look back at our lives as ones lived in the wilderness or in the Promised Land?  Let’s not waste another day.  Let’s move forward in victory.  Let’s fall at His feet in complete surrender at all cost and complete dying of our self will and love of the things of this world.  I recall an amazing and powerful quote I put in my Bible long ago.  “It will cost you more to miss the will of God than it will to find it.”  We will give up so little compared to the incredible outpouring of His power and blessings upon our lives.  What is it that we are holding back?  Is it our love of food, our thoughts, our bitterness, our laziness, holding grudges, failing to take time every day to build a solid relationship with God,  guilty conscience, love of the things of this world, failure to love our spouse fully and with unconditional love or an unwillingness to take the time to  raise our children with godly discipline? 

 

Vs. 6-7 “You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.  Turn and take your journey.”

Let’s make that turn today.  What are we waiting for? 

Vs. 8 “See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land….”

Vs. 21 “Do not fear or be discouraged.”

Vs. 29 “Do not be terrified, or afraid of them.  The Lord your God who goes before you, He will fight for you…”

Dear one, we will have a battle on our hands as we enter a life of full surrender.  Satan will try to discourage us.  Those around us may not like our new life and our light may shine on the darkness they are living in.  As a result they may try to discourage or pull us down.  We must remember Vs. 29, and that He goes before us and will fight for us.

One day you may hear a conversation like this:  “I don’t know what happened but my wife is different now. Something happened and now she really loves me again.”  Or:  “My mother is really a godly woman. I saw a complete change in her one year and our home became a different place.” Let this be our turning point. 

Lead with His Wisdom Numbers 36

 

Vs. 5 “Then Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord….”

Vs. 6 “This is what the Lord commands…”

Vs. 10 “Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad.”

 

Colossians 3:15-16  “Let the peace of  God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body and be thankful.. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another…”

 

I believe that Moses allowed God’s wisdom and peace to rule in his heart and because of that he was able to teach, lead and admonish his followers with God’s help.  As a result, his people trusted and followed his instructions because they knew they were from God.

 

Isaiah 55:6-13     6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts

 

Life is too short and precious to live it in our own wisdom.  We must seek Him, call upon Him and forsake our own ways.  Much of the time our thoughts and ways will be so different from His. 

 

What wisdom are we giving out to those around us and especially to our children?  Do they see us as wise, gentle and fair?  Do they trust us, just as these daughters did in this chapter, to know that our wisdom and leadership comes from God? 

As we lead our children in His ways, they may not always be happy with our decisions.  Sometimes we may even feel hated.  I remember those days vividly.  We had to separate our children from friends that we could see were not really a good influence on them.  Our daughter would have married two of the guys she was dating.  We had clear ‘red flags’ about both of them.  As gently as we could we shared with her what we saw and that we had no peace about them.  With her sweet heart of wisdom she accepted our decision in tears.  You see, over the years she had been taught by us and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

many godly leaders to listen to the council of her parents.  Today our daughter is married to the man of her dreams.  He is an incredible spiritual leader to her. We are convinced that God hand picked him for our daughter.  My husband and I were flooded with nothing but peace as he entered her life.  God’s peace ruled in our hearts, just as Colossians shows us. 

 

So you see, we have no choice but to sit at His feet every day.  We must be infused with His love and wisdom. He must be our teacher.  There is so much at risk when we just slide through life doing what we think is right.  It is a sacrifice of our time and takes a special discipline to get into the daily habit, but it is so worth it.  After a while you begin to see you can’t live without it.  It makes all the difference in the world.  It’s a choice we make. Some say they don’t have time.  That’s just not true.  We have time for what God wants us to do.  

Numbers 35 Our Refuge

 

 

Vs. 2 “Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession….”

Let’s give cheerfully and be very faithful to support the work of the church. 

2Corinthians 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

 

Vs. 12    “…cities of refuge…”    Cities were set up for those who accidentally killed someone to protect them until their trial.  There they were protected from harm. 

Ps 46:1   God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

I am so glad that God is our refuge and our strength.  Let’s run to Him and meet with Him in our ‘city of refuge’ not only in times of trouble but regularly to find that peace that only is found sitting at His feet.  Where is your ‘city’?  Mine is at the couch in our den.  I so look forward to meeting with Him and I pray every day, Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”  He is that refuge, strength and help.  His wisdom is endless and such a delight.  I am always delightfully surprised and blessed by the gems and rhemas that He shows me. I don’t know what I would do or be like if I didn’t have this wonderful ‘city of refuge’ to retreat to. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numbers 34 We’re home! Take your shoes off!!

 

Vs. 2  “…this is the land that shall fall to you as inheritance, the land of Canaan to its boundaries.”

In our journey of life we have received a spiritual inheritance, the gift of salvation and a fulfilled life as we daily walk with Him.  Our ‘Canaan’ also has boundaries and to enjoy this inheritance we must stay within those boundaries.  It is in stepping out of the boundaries that we lose sight of our wonderful inheritance.  We sometimes begin to yearn for those things we see in another ‘land’ when all along we have all that we could ever need, provided by the One who can fulfill those needs.

 

Vs. 29  “These are the ones the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance….”

Leaders from each tribe were chosen and given the task of dividing the inheritance.  Who has God chosen for you to lead or influence.  Are we leaving a mark behind that is a path others could copy and be in a place to be blessed?  I think of the words to that wonderful song, “Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.  May the fire of our devotion light their way.  May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe and the lives we live inspire them to obey.” 

Today let’s examine those boundary lines.  Have we stepped out? Has it caused our joy to be diminished?  Dear loved one, embrace this wonderful place that we are in.  Revel in it, cry out for joy!   We are in the ‘promised land.’  We have every reason to be joyful.  We are surrounded by a lost and hopeless people, but we, the redeemed by the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ have been set free the day we received Him as our own.  Even in our deepest darkest valleys, we remain His, wrapped in His love, cocooned in a warmth that calms our every fear and gives us priceless peace.  Take your shoes off, settle in and begin to run freely within the boundaries of this amazing ‘land’.  Take the hands of those God has placed in your path and show them the great and mighty things He has for us.  Don’t spend another day in misery, regret or longing for something outside our boundaries. It’s such a waste because we have it all right here!   

Numbers 33 Journal Your Journey

 

 

 

 

 

Vs. 2  “Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord.”

 

With great delight I had the wonderful privilege to write the story (journal) of my parent’s life.  I shared all the places that they ‘camped’ in life.  This chapter in Numbers mentions the word ‘camped’ forty-two times.  I hope that my book has encouraged others to write about the ‘campsites’ in their own lives as they have journeyed to their ‘promised land’, a life of abundance in Christ. We need to pass these wonderful lessons of defeats and victories to our descendents so that they can learn to walk boldly with God.

Vs. 3  “…the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians.”

Our journey begins when we boldly take that step of faith and surrender our lives to Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives.  We must walk away from the ‘Egypt’ that was once our campsite.  As we journey through the wilderness there will be many testing places.  God is using the wilderness to prepare us for ministry and bring us to a place of spiritual maturity. 

 

Vs.  52  “…destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places.”

As we enter that place prepared for us, a place to serve Him, he requires us to drive out of our lives all the things that will keep us from our wonderful ‘inheritance’ (vs. 54-54).  Are there still ‘gods’ in our lives?  Food, money,  ungodly pleasures of the world, lust or hobbies that we put before Him or our family, can all be the ‘gods’ that prevent us from the unimaginable pleasures that He has prepared for us. 

Isa 64:4   For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

 

Vs. 55  “…shall become irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.”   Are we living with those irritants and harassments that we have allowed to consume us?  Drive them out.  Let Him make your journey one that others will read or hear about and cause them to stand in awe at the greatness of God and what He can do with a life totally surrendered to Him.

Numbers 32 The Encourager

Vs.7 “Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them?”

How would you be described by those around you? Would they say you are a discourager or an encourager?  Wouldn’t you agree with me that the most discouraging words people have said to us seem to echo in our ears over and over again?  The same is true for those sweet encouraging words.  We replay them again and again.

What I am about to share is not meant to bring praise to myself but to express how God has used people to give me hope and deep joy.

My dear husband, Jim, has many times praised me for being a good wife and mother.  I realize my many failures, yet he still sees the good.  I so need his love and appreciation. 

Cathy, my mentor in Oklahoma, said to me, “You are such a good mother.”  My son (about 5 at the time) and I were staying with her for two weeks as I worked with the children in her church. Her words jolted me.  They were words that God knew I needed to hear.  It made me want to be a good mother.  Oh, how her words echoed and encouraged me.  In spite of the mistakes I knew I had made as a mother, those words let me see that I wasn’t a failure. 

I stayed with my daughter in a time of need and these words forever ring in my ears, “Mom, I don’t ever want you to leave.” She spoke of the depths of her love and appreciation and I joyfully replay them in my mind. To be loved like that is beyond words. 

My other daughter said to me one day over the phone, “Mom, we had an idealistic childhood.”  Nothing could have encouraged me more.  I have often replayed the huge mistakes I made in raising my children but those words gave me sweet peace that God had truly helped and gave much grace to us as we raised our children. I chose staying home over a career.  We chose to home school, so mothering was everything to me.  I can live on those word till I die, knowing that my calling was not in vain.

For my birthday one year, my son, James, wrote and sang a song to me of his love.  Then he proceeded to wash my feet in a basin there in the living room.  That act of service and deep love are forever etched in my memory.

 

Dear one, I would love to hear your stories of words that echo in your heart. Let’s start today by giving that same hope to others! Let us never be a discourager. Let’s spend the rest of our lives, etching into the hearts of those around us words and deeds that will give them a reason to live, give them hope for the future, and give them a reason to glorify and praise our gracious Heavenly Father.  Oh that God would use us to help our loved ones get to the ‘promised land’ in their lives, a place of spiritual maturity, peace and deep joy. Let’s be described as “The Encourager.”

 

Numbers 31 Be a Willing Recruit

 

Vs. 3 As we fight the enemy (temptation, Satan and those who attack us wrongfully etc.) let us also arm ourselves for war.  Here again we think of those powerful verses, Ephesians 6:10-18, showing us that we must gear up for battle.

Vs. 5 “So they were recruited…” We may be recruited by God to travel through a battle zone that would not be our choosing yet it is in those agonizing battles that He so often shows us His mighty power and wonderful victory.  It is then that we draw closer to Him than we ever have before.  So my dear one, embrace the battle zone, gear up and watch His mighty power unfold before you. 

 

Vs. 15   Moses was angry with the soldiers because in that battle zone they got a bit sidetracked with bringing back what Moses knew would destroy them.  We must not get sidetracked in our own personal battle zone but instead stay focused on the Victor!  That battle zone could easily destroy us but God wants to use it to bring us to a much higher plain in our walk with Him. 

 

Vs. 27   The  treasures taken from the battle zone that they were allowed to keep were divided up evenly between the soldiers, the ones who stayed behind and  also a portion was given to the priests. 

God gives all of us jobs to do.  Some are up front and noticed by everyone.

Some do the ‘behind the scenes’ jobs that are absolutely necessary for the success of a task, class, church or home.  God rewards both in very special ways.  I think of my friend, Jeanie, who helps quietly in our weight loss class, setting up, making calls to encourage the other ladies and also calling me at times to remind me about something important.  Her help makes the class a success.  We can’t do our jobs alone.  We need each other. Another friend at church told me that Jeanie calls her at different times to give her an encouraging verse.  Just this morning in Sunday School, a teacher of another ladies class at church told me of how Jeanie serves the same way so sweetly in her class.  Jeanie has not had the best of health and I’m sure that as she was recruited to go through her own physical battle zone, God used that to draw her close to Him as is so evident as I watch her sweet, quiet faithfulness.  I know that God equally rewards her just as much as he rewards the teachers and those up front. 

 

Vs.  49 After the battle a count was taken and not a man was missing.  That had to be a miracle!  What were the odds?  It’s God and God alone!  We must remember that our battles are God’s and we must not fear.  Sometimes we find ourselves full of terrible doubts and fears that can actually begin to destroy us and it’s all for nothing.  It’s such a waste of our energy, when instead we can go through those battles leaving behind us a trail of incredible lessons and victories learned. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numbers 30 Keep that promise.

 

 

Vs. 2  “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”

 

Ecclesiastes 5:4  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecclesiastes 5:5  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

 

According to Strong, a vow to God is a voluntary commitment to do something that pleases Him or to abstain from certain practices to demonstrate devotion to Him.  We are not to make rash vows because they are to a righteous and Holy God.  That vow must be kept.  As Ecclesiastes says, we don’t want to become a fool before God. 

 

Are we known for keeping our promises to others?  We should be a person of our word.  Our children especially can be very hurt by broken promises.  If the broken promise was entirely out of our control, we must somehow try to make amends to them.  A broken promise can begin a seed of bitterness in our children.  They need to see and learn that as God can be trusted with His promises to us, so they also can trust us to show that same faithfulness.  

 

I watched my parents, through many astounding trials, keep their marriage vows.  I also have seen many heartbreaking scenes of others who have destroyed their families by choosing to selfishly break those vows.  The results are devastating.  Sometimes children never get over it and later follow that same pattern of a lack of commitment in their adult lives.  We need to pattern for our children a picture of a life of deep commitment to Him, our spouse and to them. 

I am trying very hard to invest myself into bringing joy and happiness to my husband.  I have prayed for God’s help to do that.  He is helping me to hold my tongue, to love unconditionally, to forgive immediately, rather than giving my husband the cold treatment, and to find sweet ways to serve him. As a result I see changes in myself and also in him.  I love him more now.  I know that my marriage vow was probably the most important one I will ever make. 

Let’s keep our promises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numbers 29 Blow the Trumpets!!!

 

This chapter prepares my heart to come into this week of Thanksgiving ‘blowing the trumpets’ for God. 

Vs. 1  “ …you shall have a holy convocation.  You shall do no customary work.  For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets.” 

Let’s make this day holy as we spend it with our loved ones.  Let’s ‘blow the trumpets’, so to speak for Him.   We have in the past gone around to each family member and expressed why we are thankful for them and why we appreciate them, as well as expressing specific ways we are thankful to God.  Let’s plan our day with careful attention to how we can develop a grateful heart in our own lives as well as our children.  Let’s bring sacrifices of praise and joy to Him.  We could choose special verses from the Bible (Psalm 92:1-5, 100, 103:1-5) and sweet songs of praise and Thanksgiving.

 

The sacrifices of the Old Testament were to make the people aware of God, to deal with their sin, bring restoration and reminding them of His holiness. 

So as we take this day of rest from our normal work week (besides all that cooking we have to do) to celebrate, let’s start new traditions of an even greater Thanksgiving than we have ever had before and do it every year.  Let it remind us of Him and His holiness. It can be so much more than just another holiday.  It can be a time that renews and restores in us a deep love and appreciation for our wonderful Heavenly Father.  Let out children someday look back with incredibly warm memories of this special holiday with you and how every year you blew the trumpets together!!!!